Zwiep became a pastor in Enschede in 1929 and was a well-known figure in the town. On Sunday April 19, 1942, he spoke out in a sermon against National Socialism and the persecution of the Jews. The following day he was arrested by the Germans and after five months of interrogation in prison in Arnhem and Amersfoort he was transported to Dachau. On November 24, 1942, two months after his arrival at the camp, he died of exhaustion and malnutrition.